Flushing device



, Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES rLUsnING DEVICE Francis J. Schuler, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor y to Lewis Manufacturing Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California i Application May 19, 1933, Serial No. 671,877

15 Claims.

This invention has to do in a general way with cleaning or ushing apparatus, and is more par#- ticularly related to devices for cleaning thel interiors of receptacles such as crank cases, differentials, and transmission housings in automobiles and other similar receptacles. A a

It is a well-known fact that during the operation of an internal combustion engine, or the like, a substantial amount of sediment and for- 0 eign material accumulates in the crank case which interferes with the proper lubrication of the bearings, and, even though` the old oil is drained and new oil added from time to time, this sediment and foreign material remains in the crank case to contaminate the fresh oil. It has, therefore, been the practice in many cases to place a measured quantity of some flushing liquid, such as kerosene, or the like, in the crank case after the oil has been drained, and run the motor for a few minutes in an eii'ort to get the foreign material in solution or in suspension so that it can be withdrawn. Such a procedure, however, has not proved satisfactory in that only a small quantity of the sediment can be removed in this manner.

. I am also aware of the fact that certain devices have been developed for the purpose of circulating a iiushing oil through the crank case. l but in such devicesthere is no way of determining when the operation has been carried to completion, and the ushing oil, after it has once been used, must be discarded.

It is a primary object of, this invention to produce a flushing device especially adapted for use 1n cleaning crank casesand the like wherein a predetermined quantity of hot flushing oil is successively introduced into and withdrawn from the crank case, means being provided to permit the observation of the oil as it comes from the crank case so that the operator may know when all of the foreign material has been removed.

It is a further' object of this invention to produce a device of the class described wherein the iiushing oil coming from the crank case is filtered and thoroughly cleaned, such oil being returned to a source of supply of large capacity and reused over and over again..

As was pointed out above, the usual practice in prior devices is to discard the ushing oil after 50 it has once been used. This is an expensive procedure and necessitates the operator making a charge to the motorist for the flushing or cleaning operation, such charge either being made direct or absorbed by the price charged for the fresh oil or lubricant placed in the motor. In the device contemplated by my invention, the cost of operation is so low that no charge of any nature need be made. InV other words, the device is one which permits a free service to the customer.

'I'he general construction of the device contemplated by this invention, comprises an insulated container of substantial capacity associated with filter means. The container and the filter means are in turn associated with a pump mechanism designed to first pump liquid from the container and then pump liquid into the container. The lfilter means is provided with a connection adapted for attachment to the crank case for an internal combustion engine or the like, and pipe connections are arranged in the unit so that liquid can be pumped from the container into the crank case withcutpassing through the filtering medium in the lter unit, and during the other pumping operation the liquid will be returned from the crank case .to the container through filtering mediums.

Heating means are provided in the container to heat the flushing liquid. It is an important feature of this invention that the conduit for the liquid has a transparent section, preferably embodied in the filter means, wherebythe liquid, as it traverses its path from the crank case, may be inspected to determine the extent to which the I cleaning operation has taken place.

It is an object of this invention to produce a novel type of filter having transparent side walls and constructed so that the liquid coming from the crank case passes through the filtering me' dium in the container, such means beingfurther adapted to by-pass the liquid away from the filtering medium as it is delivered from the container to the crank case. Y

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of the class described with a reversible pump adapted to apply both pressure and' suction on bothsides thereof.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a unit of the class described with two iilter units, one arranged on each` side of the reversible pump, one of such units carrying the passage. referred to above, through which the liquid is delivered to the pump from the crank case, and the other filter unit being associated with a valvewhereby it is connected to the pump only during such operation at which the last mentioned filter connection is under pressure. The side of the pump to which this last men-V tioned lter is connected is also provided with, what I may term, an in'let connection leading to the bottom of the container and having a oneway check valve therein which opens only` during such times as the connection is under suction from the pump.

It is a further object of this invention to pro- 4 viderthe container with a gauge member whereby the quantity of liquid delivered from the con tainer to the crank case can be measured, suchv gauge being used to deliver a predetermined quantity of liquid into the crank case and to ascertain when all of the liquid has been withaccompanying drawings which are chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which- Fig. l is a. sectional elevation showing a preferred form of the invention and illustrating the manner in which it is connected to the crank case of an internal combustion engine or the like;

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken in a. plane represented by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a'fragmentary outside elevation which may be considered as having been taken in the general direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation showing a preferred form of iilter unit contemplated by this invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan section taken in' a plane represented by the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing a preferred form of crank case connection contemplated by this invention; and

Fig. '7 is a plan section taken on the general line 1--1 in Fig. 6.

More particularly describing the invention as herein illustrated, reference numeral Il indicates a container which may take the form of an insulated tank preferably mounted on casters. The container Il is provided with a cover member l2 which supports a reversible pump l2 and a pump-operating motor I3 having a switch i3' whereby its direction of operation may be reversed.

The reversible pump l2 may be of any conventional type such as an ordinary gear pump which, as is well known to those familiar with the art, can be operated in either direction merely by reversing the rotation of the drive shaft. The opposite sides I4 and i3 of the pump l2' are termed pressure suction sides since, by reversingl the rotation of the pump, each side alternately becomes a pressure or a suction connection. The pressure suction side lil of the pump communicates through a. suitable connection I6 with a pipe or conduit connection l1 which in turn communicates with a lter unit indicated by reference numeral I8.

The pressure suction side l5 of the pump has, what I may term, an outlet connection l@ and an inlet connection 23. 'I'he outlet connection I9 has a check valve 2l adapted to open under pressure from the pump, and when open establishes direct communication between the side l5 of the pump and a connection 22 which extends into the bottom portion of a second filter unit 23. The inlet connection 29 on the side l5 of the pump extends into the bottom portion of the chamber I I where it is provided with an inwardly opening check valve 25 adapted to open only when the connection 20 is under suction from the pump.

The container Il is provided with an electrical heating unit of any preferred construction, such unit shown as comprising a plurality of elements 21 mounted on suitable supports 28.

'I'he details in the construction oi' the iilter unit I8 are best illustrated in Fig. 4 where the unit is shown as comprising a glass cylinder 29 mounted between suitable end plates 30 and 30', such end plates being provided with annular recesses 3l and 3|' containing packing means, into pressure engagement with which the edges of the cylinder 29 are forced by means of clamping screws 32.

Reference numeral 33 indicates a pipe or conduit which is shown as extending through the center of the filter unit just described, the lower cnd of such conduit connecting with an elbow l1 in the connection I1. The upper end of such conduit receives a connection 34 which in turn carries a flexible hose or other suitable connection 35, the free end 36 of which connects through a flexible conduit 31 with a crank case connecion 38 whereby it is secured in the outlet opening 3l' in the crank case 38 of the motor indicated in dotted lines at 39.

The pipe or conduit 33 in the lter in this form of my invention is shown as comprising a plurality of short sections in threaded engagement with each other, such sections being formed so as to provide shoulders 40 along the conduit which support lter members 4l. .These filter members, which I may broadly refer to as the filtering medium in this filter unit, are shown as comprising a pair of apertured plates 42 and 42' between which a screen 43 is clamped. The peripheries of these plates are in tight engagement with the inner surface of the cylinder 29, and the screens are preferably graduated from a relatively coarse screen in the top to a very fine screen at the bottom of the filter unit.

The conduit 33 at points near the top and bottom portion of the lter unit respectively, is provided with ports indicated at 45 and 46. These ports are associated with connections 4l and 48 and valves 49 and 50. The valve 5@ in the bottom connection is in the nature of a check valve arranged to open only at such times as suction is applied Within the pipe 33, and the valve 49 in the top port is arranged to close the port when suction is applied at the lower end of the pipe 33.

This valve 49 is ci novel construction in that it is positioned within the pipe 33 and is assoelated with a seat 5I formed in the pipe. The inner end of the connection 4l projects into the pipe and is inclined so that it forms another seat for the valve 49. In the operation of this valve when liquid under pressure is entering the pipe 33 from the reversible pump l2', the valve is forced into engagement with the inclined seat on the connection 4l! thereby closing the outlet shown and preventing the liquid from entering the filter unit during this pressure operation.

When the operation of the pump I2 is reversed by the motor I3 and suction is applied to the pipe 33, the valve 49 drops upon its seat 5i within the pipe, opening the port 45 and establishing communication between the conduit 35 and the iilter chamber, the latter of which has meanwhile been placed under suction from the pump through the opening of the check valve 50. In this manner, I provide a unit through which the liquid under pressure from the pump passes without coming in contact with the iiltering medium and through which the liquid coming to the pump passes through the filtering medium.

The filter unit 23, which I may term a second lter unit, is similar to the unit i8 in that it comprises a cylinder 60, end plates 6|, and clamping bolts 62. This unit, however, has an empty chamber in its bottom portion which provides a convenient inspection chamber and the top prtion of the-unit carries a. fibre-packed filter of any suitable type indicated at 63. i

'The inner end of the inlet` connection 22 in the filter, is provided with a perforated cap 65 and the outlet end of this filter is connected a, tube or pipe section l within which a pair of oppositely disposed leaf springs 'II and 'II' are mounted. The upper ends of these leaf springs extend through the pipe and are bent outwardly` so as to diverge from each other and extend over the inner edge of the crank case opening 31. A deecting disk 12 is mounted on the pipe above its inner outlet opening.

` Reference numeral 'I3 indicates a packer: coniposed of rubber or other suitable material and supported by a fianged metallic sleeve 1I. This. packer is forced into pressure engagement withr the outer edge of the crank case opening 37' by means of a wing nut 'I5 which is threaded to the exterior of the pipe lll.

Reference numerals 16 and 'I6' lindicate pro,

:lectlons which extend through packed apertures in the wall oi' the tube 'i0 which are mounted on the leaf springs 'H and 'II'. In installing this device, it is merely necessary to run the wing .nut 'i5 downwardly on its threads a short distance and by pressure lon the projections 'IG andl 16, force the two leaf springs into the broken line position shown where the outlet end of the pipe may be inserted through tlrecrank case opening. The projections are then released permitting the springs 'II and 1I to spring out into the full line position shown where the divergent ends or fingers extend over the inner :edge of the crank 'case opening. The wing nut is then tightened to compress the packer against the outer edge of the crank case opening, therebyvprovidlng a tight joint. lThis connection has the advantage of being adapted for use on various size crank case openings without necessitating the use of bushings and the like.

In the operation of the device, the used oil is first drained from the crank case, the connection 38 is installed `in thefmanner ust described, and thereby establishes communication between the crank case and the container II which is filled with a suitable fushing oil maintained at a desired temperature by means of the heating member.

'I'he level of the oil in the container is indi-A cated by a sight gauge I1 which is calibrated in quart or other suitable measurements. The operator knowing the capacity of the crank case moves a pointer 'I8 associated with the sight gauge to a point corresponding to such capacity.

The motor I3 is then started in a direction which will operate the reversible pump to apply presvsure in the pressure suction side I4 and suction in the pressure. suction side I5.` Such operation is effective to withdraw liquid fromthe oo ntainer II through the check valve 25 into the pump and force such liquid out through the' sprayed into the crank case he stops the motor I'I and reverses its operation. During the reversed operation, suction is applied to the pressure suction side ril, such suction being effective to open the check valve 48 and drop the valve 49 on its seat 5I. The liquid is thereby withdrawn from the crank lcase and .delivered connection 41 against the top screen in the filter l unit. `This liquid is drawn through the successive screens in the filter unit into the pump I2 from which it is delivered through the check valve 2| into the outlet connection 22 which delivers it 'into the second filter unit 23 where it' passes through the filter `into the connection 66 which returns it to the container to bel reused over and over again". This operation may be repeated` as many times as necessary `until- .the fiushing oil entering the first filter unit I8 from I the crank-case isof the desired clarity, the'l clarity of which being observable through the glass wall or cylinder of the filter I8.

. It is to be understood that, while I have herein `through a downwardly directed port Y41 in the illustrated one preferred form of my invention,

the invention is not to be limited tothe precisel construction as described herein, but includes 'within its scope whatever changes fairly come within the spirit Yof the appended' claims.

I claimA as my inventiom l. A flushing device of the class described em" bodying the Icombination of: a container for a flushing liquid; a filter unit; conduit means for connecting said filter with a crank case or the like; means for delivering liquid from said container vthrough said filter unit, out of contact with the filtering medium therein, into said crank case conduit; and means for returning said liquid fromsaid crank case conduit through said filter unit and the filtering medium therein into saidr container, said filter unit having a transparent case to render visible the liquid passing therethrough from said crankr'case to said container.

2. A fiushing device of the class described embodying the combination of: a container for a flushing liquid; a filterunit; conduit means for connecting said filter with a crank case or the like; means for `delivering liquidfrom said container through said -filter unit out of contact' with the filtering medium therein and into said crank case conduit; and means for returning said liquidfrom said crank case conduit through said filter unit and the filtering medium therein into said container,` said liquid-delivering and said liquid-returning means including a reversible pump.

3. A flushing' device of the classdescribed embodying the combination of: a container for a fiushing liquid; a filter unit; a reversiine pump having one inlet-'outlet connecting means communicating with said container and another inlet-outlet connecting means communicating with said filter unit; and valved means in said filter unit for conducting f iuid through said filter unit out of engagement with the filtering medium therein when it is being delivered under pressure from said pump, said last mentioned means being operative to` direct said fiuid through said filtering medium when it is being delivered under suction through said lt'er unit to said pump.

4. A fiushing device of the class described embodying: a container fora flushing liquid; a first filter unit; a second filter unit; a reversible pump having two pressure-suction sides; an inlet-outlet connection on one pressure-suction side communicating with said first filter unit; an outlet connection on the other pressure-suction side communicating with said second filter unit; and an inlet connection on said other pressure-suction side communicating with said container.

5. A flushing device of the class described em.- bodying: a container for a iiushing liquid; a first filter unit; a second filter unit; a reversible pump having two pressure-suction sides; an inlet-outlet connection on one pressure-suction side communicating with said first filter unit; an outlet connection on the other pressure-suction side communicating with said second iilter unit; an inlet connection on said other pressure-suction side communicating with'said container; means for delivering liquid from said second filter unit to said container; and a feed and suction conduit for connecting said first filter unit with a receptacle to be flushed.

6. A flushing device of theclass described embodying: a container for a flushing liquid; a' first filter unit; a second filter unit; a reversible pump having two pressure-suction sides; an inlet-outlet connection on one pressure-suction side communicating with said first filter unit; an outlet connection on the other pressure-suction side communicating with said second filter unit; an inlet connection on said other presure-suction side communicating with said container; means for delivering liquid from said second filter unit to said container; and a feed and suction conduit for connecting said first .filter unit with a receptacle to be filled, said first filter unit including a valved by-pass pipe arranged to bypass liquid coming from said pump away from the filtering medium in said first filter unit.

7. A flushing device of the class described embodying: a container for avflushing liquid; a first filter unit; a second filter unit; a reversible pump having two-pressure-suction sides; an inlet-.outlet connection on one pressure-suction side communicating with said first filter unit; an outlet connection on the other pressure-suction side communicating with said second filter unit; an outwardly opening check valve in said outlet `connection; an inlet connection on said other pressure-suction side communicating with said container; and an inwardly opening check valve inY said inlet connection.

8. A flushing deviceof the class described embodying: a container for a flushing liquid; pump means for conducting liquid out of and into said container; a filter unit comprising a housing, a plurality of filters in said housing, a pipe having ports opening into the opposite ends of said housing, check valves in said ports adapted to open when suction is applied to said pipe; vand means connecting said pipe with said pump means.

9. A flushing device of the class described embodying: a container for a flushing liquid; pump means for conducting liquid out of and into said container; and a filter unit comprising a housing, a plurality of filters in said housing, a pipe having ports opening' into the opposite ends of said housing, check valves in saidports adapted vto open when suction is applied to said pipe; and means connecting said pipe with said pump means, said housing having transparent walls.

10. A flushing device of the class described embodying: a container for a flushing liquid; a reversible pressure and suction pump communicontainer.

cating with said container; a nlter housing; a plurality of filters arranged transversely along said housing; a. pipe associated with said housing; ports in said pipe opening into each end of said housing beyond the endmost filters; me ns connecting said pipe with said pump; an check valves in said ports adapted to open and close respectively when suction and pressure 'are applied to said pipe by said pump.

11. A flushing device of the class described embodying: -a container for a flushing liquid; a reversible pressure and suction pump communicating with said container; a filter housing; a plurality of filters arrangedtransversely in said housing; a pipe associated with said housing; ports in said pipe opening into each end of said housing beyond the endmost filters; means connecting said pipe with said pump; check valves in said ports adapted to -open and close respectively when suction and pressure are applied to said pipe by said pump; and valve means in said pipe adapted to close the passage through said pipe when suction is applied thereto.

l2. A flushing device of the class described embodying: a container for a flushing liquid; a

reversible pressure and suction pump; communi- -cating with said container; a filter housing; a

plurality of filters arranged transversely in said housing; a pipe associated with said housing; ports in said pipe opening into each end of said housing beyond the endmost filters; means connecting said pipe with said pump; check valves in said ports adapted to open and close respectively l when suction and pressure are applied to said pipe by said pump; and a seat in said pipe for engaging one of said valves andthereby closing the passage through said pipe when suction is applied thereto by said pump.

13. In a flushing device for crank'cases and the like: a container for a nushing liquid; a filter unit having a transparent case; conducting means between said container and the crank case for delivering fluid to the crank case and for' returning fluid to said container; and means operated by the flow of liquid from the crank case for diverting the liquid through the filter.

14. In a flushing device for crank cases and the like: a container for a flushing liquid; a-

single conducting means between said container and 'the crank case for delivering fluid to the crank case and for returning fluid to said container; a filter unit connected to said conducting means; check valve means in said filter unit permitting liquid from the container to pass freely through the filter and causing the liquid returning from the crank case to pass through the filter medium before the liquid reaches said container and means in said container for heating a fiushing liquid.

15. In a flushing device for crank cases and the like: a container for a flushing liquid; a single conducting means between said container and the crank case for delivering fluid to the crank case and for returning fluid to said container: a filter unit connected to said conducting means; check valve means in said filter unit permitting liquid flowing from the container to pass freely,

through the filter and causing the liquid returning from the crankcase to pass through the filter medium before the liquid reaches said r'aANcIs J. sonoma. 

